MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA – 170 RUSSELL – MELBOURNE (04.10.2024)
Review: Craig Eriksson Photos: Jason Rosewarne
Tonight we were taken on a rhythmic and spiritual journey to Jamaica and beyond as we listened, watched and danced along to this lively, energetic and upbeat tempo 23-piece ensemble known as the Melbourne Ska Orchestra (MSO).
The ensemble is lead by the charismatic and very talented Nicky Bomba who I have previously seen on drums with John Butler Trio and as the singer and drummer for Bomba. Nicky is one very cool, calm and collected hipster. A very smooth, suave, cultured man, with a love for all things music, a distinctive smile and looking very schmick with his hat, shades and funky threads.
The band has a signature sound and is characterised by their spirited, contemporary style and transformation of ska music infusing a combination of diverse world music beats and rhythms, distinctive and infectious energy and grooves completely captivating the crowd. Their music has reggae, blues, soul and jazz influences, punchy horn and brass sections (saxophones, trombones and trumpets), brisk offbeat guitar rhythms, keys, guitars, drums including bongo and Brazilian samba drum, percussion (cow bell, guiro, tambourine) and infectious, catchy melodies. This encouraged everyone to sing and dance along throughout the entire 2-hour plus show.
Ska music originated in Jamaica in the late 1950’s. The music has a walking bassline with accents on the off-beat and is typically exciting, upbeat and easy to dance to. It has gone through three waves leading up to where the music is now. I’d say ska’s biggest influences are reggae, swing, punk and jazz.
MSO formed back in 2003 and have been hugely popular both in Australia and overseas. They are well known for their live performances and after experiencing them in a sold out, packed bandroom, I can clearly understand why and how they have this reputation. They were so much fun, playful and their music is so incredibly infectious creating a party-like atmosphere.
Right from the moment they stepped foot on stage it was explosive with the pure power and abundance of sound and movement created by the skilled and large orchestra. The orchestra were having so much fun on stage getting out of their seats, playfully bobbing up and down in time with the beat. The percussionist showed off his ska dance moves and encouraged the crowd to dance. They opened with SANS HUMANITE from Sierra Kilo Alpha (2016) album. If you’ve never heard this song before, take a listen and instantly you’ll understand the style of music Nicky and the Orchestra deliver. Incredible musicality!
Nicky then talked about his love for Melbourne which led into LYGON STREET MELTDOWN from Melbourne Ska Orchestra (2013) album. This has a reggae-influence with horns and strong bass. It was impossible to stand still when listening to their fun-loving style and brand of big band music. We felt like we were at a Carnival, celebrating and dancing in the street with a heightened sense of social unity. Stemming from the same album was THE DIPLOMAT with vocals by both Nicky and Sally Ford. This has a jovial dance party vibe that made the crowd smile, sway and salsa along to the Latin groove.
Sally Ford is a wonderful singer, alto saxophone and flute player and was in the band Texicali Rose. Sally spoke and sang in Spanish throughout the evening and is an incredibly talented artist.
There was a lot of crowd participation throughout the evening with Nicky winning over the audience with his Freddie Mercury-like call and response, having the crowd do Boom-Chaka-Laka and James Brown references which had the crowd come together in absolute stitches of laughter. The energy in the bandroom was so infectious it had everyone beaming with joy and in high spirits.
One of my favourite songs and sing-a-longs for the night was GOOD DAYS BAD DAYS from Read All About It! (2018). It’s a very catchy feel good song which involved crowd participation. The connection the band has with the audience is second to none. HE’S A TRIPPER from their 2013 album starts with a Spanish intro and then goes into a very up and down tempo, drumming and trumpet solo along with some fun storytelling playful lyrics.
Nicky talked a bit about mental health and trying to find that special thing that brings you joy and happiness. That led into SOLITARY ISLAND SWAY (2016) and highlighted Nicky’s wonderful vocals, joined by Sally singing the Spanish lyrics had everyone swaying and salsa dancing along.
Some meaningful lyrics from the song include:
Got to break out of my troubled mind
Heading for the palm trees and the sunshine
I’m a Solitary Island, I need another place to play
And if I make it out there you know that I’ll stay
FUNKCHUNK! (2016) had multiple vocalists and as the name suggests, a very funky song.
Nicky said they have a new album coming out soon and they played the first release, JOHN WAYNE, with one of the band members whistling the intro in the style of an old Western movie and he continued whistling throughout the song. Nicky then said to the audience, are you ready to get smart? They then led into the theme song to the TV show GET SMART (2013). One of my favourite TV series growing up with Maxwell Smart and Agent 99.
Nicky then welcomed Jane Hilson to the stage to sing the Glenn Miller & his Orchestra version of PERFIDIA which sounded amazing. Jane followed with a cover of Jamaican Recording artist, Dawn Penn’s song, YOU DON’T’ LOVE ME (NO-NO-NO). An old swing jazz song by Woody Herman was played next called THE GOLDEN WEDDING.
Another favourite song of ours was PARADISO (2013) with its catchy sing-a-long chorus and toe-tapping groove. We felt like we had been transported to a beautiful tropical island, drinking cocktails and having fun dancing on the beach.
Next up, Nicky welcomed Pat Powell on stage who was their bus driver back in the early days, driving them to the Byron Bay Bluesfest. Someone happened to mention Pat can sing and the rest is history. Pat was asked to join the band due to his beautiful soulful voice. Tonight he sang BUS DRIVER with his smooth, velvety, bass baritone vocals. The crowd went crazy for this song. Pat then sang a cover of THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE and the bandroom erupted. His voice sounded like Louis Armstrong. A beautiful rendition of an iconic song.
KENJI-SAN (2018) was next and reminded me of the 80s English punk-pop band Squeeze. A feel-good, fun song with lyrics like:
He always knew that this day would come
‘Cause in the land of the rising sun
Your fortune is fought not won
This music style continued with SLY BOOTS (2016) which reminded me of Cool for Cats by Squeeze and STAY LOW (2016). Tonight’s show also reminded me of another 70-80’s English ska band, Madness and English reggae-pop band The Specials.
The evening was brought to a close with an epic encore medley of wonderful ska classics that are on MSO’s Ska Classics album (2018). MONKEY MAN, A MESSAGE TO YOU RUDY, FEEL LIKE JUMPING, AUTOMATICALLY to name a few. In the middle of the medley Nicky had the crowd turn their back to the stage and wave to everyone at the rear of the bandroom. He told us all that when we turn back around he wants to see us dance like we’ve never danced before. As we turned around, much to everyone’s surprise, the brass players had got out of their seats and had come forward, now standing on the barrier platform up close to the crowd. They started playing and waving their instruments creating a burst of energy and sound that hit us like a tidal wave.
A special shout out to Playlunch who were the perfect support for MSO. They were an 8-piece Bogan Funk band from the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne consisting 3-brass players, keys, drums, singer and guitars. They were dressed in colourful jumpsuits and played a blend of reggae, funk, hip hop and rap. Their music is fun, quirky and had some absolute bangers like Hornbag, Station Rat, No Hat No Play and Soupe Opera.
Ska is definitely going to be on high rotation for a while after getting a good taste of it tonight. MSO are a true testament to their enduring impact in the ska music scene in Australia and abroad and I’m sure fans are looking forward to hearing the upcoming album as they continue to evolve and provide their devoted fans with their own fusion of Jamaican mento, rhythm and blues, and jazz.
MSO tour dates https://www.melbourneskaorchestra.com/shows/
